Game
by swpf
Summary: A story of nightmares, neighbors, and negligees. Maybe not that last part. Review for more.
1. Chapter 1

Hiya! This is my first R&I fic and I'm a little nervous to be posting it, but here goes nothing. I've always wondered why people don't really use Marisa very much. I think she'd make a pretty good catalyst, but maybe that's just me.

That being said, tell me what you think. I won't continue it if people think it's crap. There's no Maura for now, but I promise there will be.

**For the Fuzz: **I own nothing but my own ideas. Don't be trying to find me, there's nothing to sue for.

Jane sat bolt upright in the darkness, echoes of her dream not yet fading. Her skin was cold and wet with sweat and her heart raced. Goosebumps peppered her arms. Her eyes were moist and her throat was dry as she reached for the gun in her nightstand drawer. She didn't pick it up, but touching it, knowing it was there, was enough.

Joe Friday sat up along with her, walking along the bed to Jane's lap and cuddling up to her mistress in sympathy before settling back down to sleep. Reveling in the warmth of the little body, Jane lied back down on her pile of pillows. She scanned the room and groaned when her eyes landed on the digital clock, glowing the dark. It was only midnight.

She had turned in early that night out of boredom. Maura was out on a date with some guy, and the Sox just weren't doing it for her. Her week had been long and exhausting, having put a double homicide to rest. By the time Friday evening rolled around, she hadn't even had the energy to make it to the Robber for drinks with the guys. And since Maura wasn't going to be there, she had even less of a reason to go.

By seven o'clock, she was eating Chinese takeout on the couch, drinking a beer, and watching the Red Sox lose by two runs. By eight, she was struggling to keep her eyes open and, by nine, she was waking up from an impromptu nap and shuffling herself down the hallway to her bedroom for a full night's sleep. Now, at 12:08, Jane felt her whole body awaken and she knew she wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon. She swung her long legs out of bed after removing her terrier from her lap and headed for the living room.

As much as she hated to admit it to anyone but herself or Maura, sleepless nights like tonight were all too common, and Maura only knew because of her keen eye for darkened nasojugal folds and concern for her best friend's well-being. And since Maura could tell just by looking at Jane the next morning that she had a nightmare, Jane usually ended up giving her a call on nights like this, to save herself the berating in morning, and to hear a friendly voice reminding her that it was only just a dream, they were becoming less frequent, and Charles Hoyt would not - could not - harm her.

Even if it was all a lie, it was still nice to hear.

But Jane wouldn't be hearing it tonight. She didn't want to call and disturb her best friend just in case her date had gone long or gone 'well.' Or gone long and well. Wait, that sounded gross. Jane shook her head and sighed. This was just not her night. Standing the living room, Jane surveyed the apartment. There wasn't much to look at, honestly. Just her simple, rather smartly designed apartment with it's fair share of scattered crap after a week of Jane being too busy to care where she left her shoes and the occasional shirt. On a night like this, there was clearly only one thing to do.

Half an hour later, over the din of the zooming vacuum, Jane heard a knock on her door. Peering though the peephole before she opened it, Jane felt a little smile grace her lips as she reached for the doorknob.

"We have to stop meeting like this," she said with a little husky laughter. "Did I wake you again?" She tilted her head, silently inviting her guest inside.

"Nope," Marisa said softly as she stepped in, "studying again. I just thought maybe we could both use a break."

Jane nodded in agreement. A half hour of vacuuming and cleaning the house had done nothing to settle her fast-moving mind. It seemed the only things she could think about were either her nightmares or Maura, neither of which seemed like a good idea; the nightmares for the obvious reason and Maura because - well, Jane just didn't want to go there. At the moment, her sweet, law student neighbor, Marisa Rodriguez, seemed like a welcome change. It didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes, either.

"Can I get you something to drink?" the detective asked. "I've got beer, soda, or coffee if you're pulling an all-nighter."

Marisa held up a small dark bag and shook it. "No, I'm covered on the caffeine. Chocolate-covered coffee beans. Want one?"

Jane grabbed one of the tiny beans and popped it in her mouth as they both moved to the couch. "Not bad. But I think I'm going to be up all night even without them."

"Another bad case?" Marisa asked, placing a friendly and concerned hand on Jane's arm, intentionally minding the detective's hands.

"No," Jane chuckled softly. "That's not what has me up this time."

"Oh." Marisa paused and looked down. Jane noticed that she had retracted her hand. "Is it something wrong with you and your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" Jane was purplexed. "I'm sorry, I have no idea why you're talking about.

Now Marisa was equally confused. "That woman, Dr. Isles? I see her every now and then when she comes to walk Joe because you're busy working a case or something…" Marisa's voice trailed off as she noticed Jane wasn't making any positive responses. In fact, she seemed downright out of it, like she couldn't make up her mind on how to feel. Though, so far, it looked like there was a tie between side-swiped and slightly amused. "I take it she's not your girlfriend, then?"

Jane's eyes refocused and she glanced at her neighbor. "No," she said with an awkward chuckle, "Maura's not my girlfriend. She's-" at this point Jane took pause. "She's my friend. My best friend. But my friend. I'm- She's my friend." At the end of the stuttered statement, Jane looked down and hoped to God that the low lighting and her darker skin would hide the blush she felt coming on.

Marisa pulled back completely, giving Jane space by sliding over to the other end of the couch. She wasn't sure which one of them was more embarrassed and she was even less sure about what that meant about her neighbor. Except that, of course, she and Dr. Isles were "friends."

"Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume." Her eyes scanned the floor in between occasional glances at Jane. Had she gotten her signals mixed up or was it just wishful thinking altogether? Well, not that wishful. If it was, then she'd have thought she was the one with Jane, not that runway model of a doctor. "I'll get out of your hair now. I, uh, I don't know what I was thinking. Sorry, Jane."

"Wait, hold on," Jane said, following the law student to the door. "It's no big deal, really." Marisa wasn't the first to think she and Maura - although, to Jane's knowledge, Maura never knew it - were dating and Jane was pretty sure she wasn't going to be the last. "There's no sense in leaving over it, really."

"I didn't mean to offend you, though," Marisa said, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean, to imply that you are... or your friend... or that you and your friend...Not that it's a big deal, I mean I... I'm going to shut up and go back to my own apartment now," she announced with the sudden clarity of one trying to make a last ditch attempt at saving face. She reached behind herself and wrapped her hand around the doorknob.

"Wait, before you go..." Jane was running out of time. She wasn't sure what she was trying to to say, but she certainly didn't want Marisa to feel bad for anything she she'd said and the moment, she really didn't want the younger woman leave. This was such a bust. No wonder Frost was always going on about how she and Korsak had 'no game.' Hell, from the looks of it, she wasn't even in the stadium.

Suddenly the words leapt out of her throat before her brain had time to stop them. "?"

Well, it did cause Marisa to stop her not-so-subtle fiddling with the doorknob.

"What?"

"Do you want to get coffee or something sometime?" Jane repeated, slower this time and with more thought. "You know, see each other in daylight hours for more than five seconds in the hallway? Or, you know, it doesn't have to be in the daytime. Whenever works best for you, it could even be dinner... or not. I think _I'll _stop talking now."

Marisa's brow furrowed as she put together the pieces in her mind. "So coffee?"

"Or dinner." Jane repeated.

"And this... coffee or dinner, it would be like a-"

Jane rubbed the back of her neck nervously and hoped that she hadn't read into this wrong. "Like a date. Ifyouwantittobe." More nervous, stupid words were tumbling out. Geez, it had clearly been too long since she'd done this.

Marisa smiled, leaned up on her toes, and kissed the detective on her cheek. "That sounds great. I'll call you."

As the young woman left the detective's apartment and the door closed, Jane did her own version of a happy dance - a failed attempt at a moonwalk. _No game, my ass, Frost. _


	2. Chapter 2

**See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer**

**A/N: **Sorry it takes so long for me to update this fic. It's kind of the fic that I go to when I have writer's block on my other ones. But thank you to everyone who commented on this. I replied to everyone except those who didn't have an account because I couldn't.

I'm not sure about how satisfied I am with this this chapter. I will, however say, don't worry, this is an Rizziles fic. We'll get there. I promise.

-

The bullpen of Boston's homicide unit was normally pretty quiet. Sure, there was the occasional ruckus, an office party, some good-natured laughter (usually at another cop's expense), or even an outburst from a witness or suspect. All of those were sounds that Barry Frost was used to.

But humming?

Now, that was something odd.

He looked over to Korsak who busy reading his _Lol Cat _Bible and snickering and cooing at the cute cat pictures, but he wasn't the one humming. Barry turned his head to look over at his partner who had been, more or less, pretty normal so far today. She'd brought coffee in, but that wasn't out of the ordinary, and she'd asked Barry how his weekend was, but that wasn't strange either.

She seemed nicer. Not like 'Whoa, Jane's clearly getting laid and I need to ask her a favor now before her good mood disappears' nice, but definitely like she'd a had a pretty good weekend and her mom hadn't tried to set her up on a date this time.

Well, whatever it was, Barry didn't want to upset the precarious nature of Jane's good mood.

At least, until he heard her phone buzzing.

Jane picked up her phone, read the text message, and giggled quietly before typing back a response.

"What are you and Dr. Isles talking about now?" Barry asked, sure in his assumption that the chief ME had sent the message, since she was only one he ever saw make Rizzoli giggle.

"It's not Maura," Jane said as she rose from her chair. "But I am heading down the morgue now. Call me if you need me," she said with an over the shoulder wave of her hand.

"It was the doc," Korsak said when Jane was out of earshot.

Frost nodded. "Yup." 

"Hey, Maura," Jane said as she stepped in the chilled area, paying no mind to the dead body on Maura's table that the doctor was elbow deep in. Instead, she helped herself on to a counter behind her friend.

"The results from Mr. Harrleson's autopsy are on the desk. I have enough evidence that I can officially rule his death to be from a heart attack. His tox screen and my inspection of the plaque around his heart lead to me to conclude that the attack was due to natural causes and not foul play."

Jane nodded. "Good to know. One less case for me to handle." She patiently waited for her friend to find a stopping place in her working, humming to herself in the meantime.

Maura looked up and turned around. "Jane," she said with slow caution and slight elatedness, "have you had sex?"

Jane physically leaned back and anyway from Maura who had a growing Cheshire cat grin spreading across her face. She knew it wasn't intentional, but with the creeping smile and blood covered gloves, Maura looked like a mad scientist from a b-horror movie.

"God, Maura, no, and take off your gloves before you come at me like you're ready to take out _my _organs." Even Maura hadn't looked like a scary, Jane was less than thrilled when it came to talking about her sex life with anyone, even her best friend.

"I'm sorry, Jane," Maura said, removing her gloves and going to the sink to wash her hands. "But you just seemed so calm and you were humming. You don't hum. Not normally anyway. So, I assumed that you had finally taken my advice and to bed with someone. Hence your elevated mood and your relaxed, easy, manner."

"I'm always relaxed and easy," Jane grumbled, folding her arms and slouching against the counter.

Maura pursed her lips at the remark. "If you say so. But something has happened to cause this sudden change in demeanor."

Jane shrugged. "I've got a date."

"Oh," Maura said, her head cocking to the side, adorably. "With whom?"

"No one you or Ma set me up with."

"Ah," Maura gased, nodding approvingly.

"Don't sound all surprised. It's not like I can't get a date without your help."

"I'm aware of that," Maura said, making her way across the room and back to counter where Jane sat. "So, is it anyone I know?"

Jane cringed internally, wondering whether or not she should tell her friend the truth. She'd never told Maura about the fact that she was bisexual. There never seemed to be the right time to bring in up, except during Gaynor-Randle case, but even then, Jane could never seem to get the words out right and it was just easier to play straight.

But now, Jane felt as though she owed her friend, her best friend at that, the honesty that Maura always gave her, whether she wanted it or not.

"Uh yeah, actually you do," Jane started. "You remember my neighbor across the hall, Marisa?"

Maura took a second to think before remembering. "Oh, yes I do. Is it a friend of hers?"

"Hmm- not quite," Jane said, rubbing her neck. "It _is _her, actually. I asked her out Friday night. She came over. I was vacuuming because I couldn't sleep and she came to check on me. We got to talking and I asked her out." Jane left out the part about Marisa's assumption, figuring she was dropping enough of a bomb on her friend.

"Oh," Maura said simply. She tilted her head to the side in thought.

"Oh? Is that all. No history of bisexuality or lesbianism or something like that?"

"Well, actually, Alfred Kinsey's study in the 50's stated that 2-6% of females between the ages of 20 and 35 were more or less entirely homosexual and 7% of single females in that same age range garnered Kinsey scale rating of 3 meaning they were equally homosexual and heterosexual in their responses."

"Um... thanks?" Jane said, unsure of where Maura was going with this.

"I'm simply saying that bisexuality had been proven to be a natural occurrence. I'm glad that you're excited for your date."

"So, you're okay with this?" Jane asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Jane shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, we've slept in the same bed before and we've always been really touchy."

"You think that my new found understanding of your sexuality would make me uncomfortable? You're still the same person you've always been. You still sleep with you shoes on and you still prefer beer to a perfectly chilled and aged wine, though I still do not understand why. In short, you're still the same Jane, and I'm not so vain as to assume that simply because you're sexually attracted to women, you will be attracted to me and make uncalled for moves upon my person."

"Um, okay," Jane said tentatively. She wasn't entirely sure why Maura's Google-mouthing was going into overdrive today, but if that meant she was okay with Jane and her truthful reveal, then she was more than sit and listen to her friend's ramblings.


	3. Chapter 3

Hiya!

I'm trying to get some fanfic writing done before school starts. I'm not really sure how my first year of college will go, but I'm pretty sure I won't have very much time for writing until I get the hang of things. As it is, I've got about four more weeks, so we'll see what I can do in that time.

In the meantime, though, thank you guys so much for your reviews. And I still love my silent readers with the favs and story alerts, 'cause I tend to be one myself. So thank you all and here we go.

**For disclaimer see chapter 1**

* * *

><p>"So," Jane said, her hands tucked in her pockets as she strolled down the sidewalk with her date, "your place or mine?"<p>

Marisa, with her arm curled around Jane's leaned and chuckled seductively, low and in her throat. "Aren't you being a little presumptuous? What makes you think I'd go to bed with you?"

"Well, number one:," the detective listed, "I never said anything about bed. I simply asked if you would prefer your place or mine. I could have been asking you about which place you'd rather have a quick coffee at. You're the one with her mind in the gutter. And secondly..." Jane stopped there, both in speaking and walking. They'd reached her car and Jane took her opportunity, pushing the younger woman and up against the car door, taking advantage of her sudden lack of balance. "This is our third date in two weeks and you're wearing those undeniable 'Fuck me' heels among other hints. Call me crazy, but I think you're trying to get me to sleep with you."

Marisa's arms curled up and around Jane's neck. "I guess that's what get for seeing a detective." She slid her right had down until her fingers lightly brushed against Jane's jawline. Her index finger slipped below Jane's chin and subtly brought the detective's face closer to her own. "You caught me," she said before kissing the taller woman.

Jane smirked as the kiss ended. "Not yet," she said, holding the car door open for her date. "But give me a few minutes."

* * *

><p>Maura was a creature of habit. Well, no, that wasn't exactly true. Maura was a creature who liked things to be organized. She had routines and she had specific ways of doing things, because they made her life simpler. Simplicity was the true route to harmony, after all.<p>

But lately, Maura's routine had been thrown off. Normally, within the course of week, she would do autopsies, help Jane and other detectives catch criminals, and usually, either she or Jane would a date or something like it. And afterward, when the dates were over (and they usually were over rather early), who ever had the date would call the other and talk about how bad it was and if they could come over. The rest of the week, they would meet the guys at the Dirty Robber for drinks, darts, and companionship.

And now that routine was askew. Well, not entirely; Maura still did autopsies and lab work to help Jane and other detectives and they did manage to make it to the Dirty Robber on occasion, but those post-date talks and visits had ended. Jane actually hadn't said anything, good or bad, about her date with Marisa and Maura had to assume (though she was absolutely loathe to do so) that reason Jane was suddenly too busy for their movie nights was because she was on a date with the law student. And what threw Maura off even more was that Jane didn't even say what she was doing when she was too busy, just that she had 'stuff' to do.

With all this new free time on her hands, Maura began to think and wonder just what that 'stuff' was. It wasn't like just use subterfuge (or, in her friend's language, beat around the bush). What was she not telling Maura? Was she in trouble again? Was she having troubles with her pain again?

Well, she thought as fed her dear tortoise a strawberry, whatever it was, maybe it was time for Maura to take a page out of her friend's handbook.

Which is how she found herself outside of Jane's apartment half an hour later, determined to find her friend and discover what was wrong. She had decided to forgo her usual etiquette practice of calling Jane beforehand. She'd already learned from experience that there was no kind of stubbornness like Jane Rizzoli-stubbornness.

Using the key Jane had given her for emergencies (and, yes, she thought this qualified as a friendship emergency), she let herself into the apartment. Joe Friday, who was curled up around herself, sleeping in a ball on the couch, sat up at the ME's sudden appearance and rushed over to be petted.

"Hello, Joe," Maura greeted with a smile and belly-rub. "Is your mommy home?"

Knowing that Joe had no way of telling her, Maura looked around the apartment for signs that Jane was there. Well, the light in the kitchen above the sink was on, but Jane always left that on in case she needed something in the middle of the night and didn't want to risk tripping over her dog. Maura scanned further until she saw a shoe laying in the middle of the floor.

Tilting her head inquisitively, Maura stood and walked over to it. It was shoe of no spectacular fashion and it was low-heeled. It very well could have been Jane's, except that it seemed a little smaller than it should be. Maura looked a little further down the hall (she was actually getting a kick out of playing detective) and noticed the shoe's mate next to bathroom door. And little bit further after that, was yet another shoe, not related to the others in slightest and most definitely Jane's shoe because Maura remembered offering to take Jane shoe-shopping if she'd only get rid of that pair.

That's when she noticed the bedroom door was ajar and there was a dim light coming from the inside.

Quietly moving forward, in case Jane was asleep, Maura approached the door, peaked in and- Oh Goodness! There in the throes of passion (well, not exactly the throws; they still had most of their clothes on, more like the proto-throes of passion) Jane and Marisa.

Maura stood still and, to her later embarrassment and shame, watched for a while. In her defense, however, it was hard to look away. It was... hot, to say the very least. Jane's hair was wild and mussed from having fingers run through it. She looked... powerful as she straddled the other woman's hips, topless save for her bra. Her strong back as she leaned over the younger woman reminded Maura of some jungle cat taunting her prey before the kill.

The doctor bit her lip at the thought of Jane looking at her, leaning over her, wanting her like that. Just the idea was enough to make her have to stifle a moan, but instead she heard another. One that was definitely not hers.

Registering the fact that it was Marisa, not herself who had made the noise, Maura blushed and stepped back realizing what she had been doing. Really? Spying on your best friend? Playing uninvited voyeur? This definitely crossed a line, even in Maura's understanding of friendships. The best thing she could do now was back away quietly and leave, praying to a deity she didn't believe but whose help she would gladly accept if Jane never knew what she had just done.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Maura arrived at work early, glad to have something to do and think of besides her guilt over the things she had seen and the things she had done to herself because of the things she had seen.<p>

Maura didn't know if she'd be able to look Jane in the eye again. She'd probably be too busy thinking of what she looked like without her shirt on and leaning over the ME lasciviously.

No! Bad Maura! Stop thinking about Jane half-naked. Or fully naked. Oh dear, today was going to be a long day.

With that in mind, Maura checked her watched and nodded. It was still a little early for Jane to be in, thanks to her habitual lateness, but late enough that either Barry or Vince would be in. Maura grabbed the folder of results she needed to deliver and headed upstairs.

She was relieved to see no Jane insight as exited the elevator and put on her 'game face'. She smiled at Det. Frost and greeted him. "Good morning, Barry."

"Morning, Dr. Isles," Frost greeted back taking note of her appearance (not that that wasn't a daily occurrence). "You seem... different today. Have a good night?"

Maura froze. Was she really that transparent that Barry could tell what she'd done within a minute of seeing her? No, that was preposterous. But that didn't mean Maura didn't have to be careful.

"Not particularly. I went out for a bit, but it was mostly just Bass and I at home last night," she said after concocting a truthful enough statement.

Frost shrugged. "Is that the autopsy report?"

Maura nodded and handed over the folder, explaining her findings to him as he scanned the pages.

"Hey, is that the autopsy report?" Maura's face turned colors for the second time in as many days at the sound of Jane's voice.

The female detective entered the in her step that normal, no doubt the proud result of her sexual conquest.

"Um, yes. I gave it to Frost. He'll explain it too you. I'll be down in the morgue if you need me. Good-bye," Maura said as fast as possible and heading for the stairs, not willing to risk the elevator slowing down her mad dash.

Jane and Frost stood there confused, looking at where the doctor had been and then at each other.

Jane shrugged and asked: "What's eating her?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hiyo! Okay, so yeah, I haven't really been around. Sorry. School started, I've been in college for a month. I've overheard drunken transcendentalist rants and wanted to wring the necks of my classmates already. I also haven't been able to watch the last two episodes of the R&I season because I have no TV and TNT changed their freakin' online viewing policy (what the hell, guys?), but that's neither here nor there. **

**I can't say that I'll be around very often, but I'll always come back eventually. In return, here's a longer than normal chapter. Hope you likey ;)**

* * *

><p>Maura Isles was a master of avoidance.<p>

It was a necessary talent that she had developed over the years. She had developed it as a measure of self-preservation since she simply could not lie. But just because she couldn't lie did not mean she had to spill all of her innermost secrets or respond when she would have preferred not to.

No, she simply learned to work her way around statements until she was able to tell the truth in a manner far more suitable to her means.

At the moment, it suited her to avoid Jane as much as humanly possible while she processed her feelings and subsequently berated herself for them. She understood that feelings were not something that could be controlled, but action on the other hand, was different. She _could _have turned away from that door the other night, backed away slowly and respectfully as soon as she realized what was happening, or at least come clean with Jane about what she had done.

The longer Maura thought about it, the surer Maura was that she could not tell Jane what happened. For one thing, the longer Maura waited to tell her, the angrier Jane was likely to become - Maura knew her friend well enough to be fairly sure of that fact. Secondly, Maura was also fairly confident that she could not get through that particular conversation without suffering from tachycardia and passing out.

And so, Maura Isles chose avoidance.

Although, there were times when her mere verbal avoidance was not enough. In which case, she took to physical avoidance, dodging whatever or _whoever_ she had to with the single-minded determination she put into everything else she did, whether it was performing an autopsy or choosing the perfect accessories to complement her outfit.

But Maura could not stall and fum-fur and dodge and parry her way around Jane Rizzoli for very long, especially when the detective honed in on her with that single-minded determination that made her so good at her job. So even if Maura wanted to - and she desperately wanted to because the dreams she was having about that night, only with her recast as the object of Jane's attention - she could not stay away from Jane for very long. There was always something.

Maura would debate it as it didn't seem logical without facts and evidence to back it up, but life seemed to have a way of pushing you in ways it wanted you to go, as though it were a sea's current and you were simply the hopeless drifter, floating along on a piece of driftwood. Until you washed up on an unintended shore and you began to realize that you could either sit there and complain about your placement, or you could try to survive or, quite possibly, thrive.

Which was how, after a grueling case, Jane ended up at Maura's house. The instant Maura saw Jane, darkened nasojugal folds and normally beautifully unruly curls falling out of place and sagging into semi-straightness, looking exhausted. In short, Jane was mess, and she had every right to be.

A string of murders – five of them, in fact – all with the same M.O. and within the span of only two weeks had forced Boston homicide to work around the clock trying to find the killer, and Maura could tell from the look of her that Jane hadn't slept properly since the second body. It wasn't until the killer slipped up and was forced to rush through his ritual with his last victim and ended up leaving being a partial print, that they were able to catch him.

And now Jane, whose heart went out to the families and friends of the dead, was spent, and the last thing she wanted to be was alone, because being alone meant letting the case ruminate in her mind even more. She wanted to be near Maura, someone who understood and wouldn't ask too many questions until Jane was ready, someone who could keep away the nightmares and bad thoughts, or at least calm her down enough so she could get back to sleep. She felt out of sorts, of place, like she was emotionally disjointed. All she needed was someone to watch over her while she put the pieces back together.

Maura was that person. Maura was her person.

As soon as Maura opened the door and took in Jane's appearance, she gasped. On top of her worn-down appearance, Jane actually appearing on her doorstep was surprising. Maura had thought Jane would have given up on her by now.

Jane almost looked pitiable as she spoke. Almost - for Jane Rizzoli was never one to be pitied, so long as there was still breath in her body. "I'm sorry for whatever I did, Maura. I swear I am, and I'll give you a better apology and make it up to you for real later, but right now-"

Maura shushed her. She pressed a finger to the detective's lips to stop her. Jane didn't need to say another word, especially when she had nothing to apologize for. Of course Jane hadn't given up on her. The least Maura could do was return the favor.

After helping her friend inside and making sure she at least ate something light, Maura retire for the evening alongside Jane. She'd thought about her and Jane separating to their respective rooms for the night, but Maura got the impression that that wasn't was Jane had gone there for. She also got the impression that Jane had come to Maura and not… someone else for a specific reason, but Maura was ever one for speculation.

Laying there in her bed with Jane Rizzoli huddled into her side, Maura realized she was also never one for emotions, and yet here she was, acting as a shelter in Jane's emotional storm. She turned to face the detective in the middle of a fitful sleep and placed her arm over her side.

Maura still didn't have all the answers, for her own questions and the ones Jane probably had, and normally that would have upset her, but for now, she was fine. Snuggled into Jane's back in the warmth of the bed and darkness of the room, she felt right. A little guilty, yes, but right all the same. She'd deal with the mess in the morning.

* * *

><p>Jane woke up a familiar position, wrapped around a curved warm body, content with a general since of satisfaction.<p>

She rolled over and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before looking at her surroundings. She was not where she thought she was. A quick glance to her right showed that she was not in bed with who she thought she was either.

Jane recalled toying with the idea of going to Maura's and asking if she could spend the night, but Maura had been so distant all week that she even sure Maura would open the door for her, let alone let her in. But Jane had been so distraught last night that after wandering around for a while, Maura's house began to look more and more like a good idea.

Somewhere along the line, as the night wore on and Jane became more desperate, that good but not really good idea had become more and more feasible and here she was now: lying, wrapped around Maura in a cocoon of intimacy she had only previously dreamed of.

As nice as her current position was, Jane knew she had to move, if for no other reason than Maura's comfort. While the medical examiner had been accommodating last night, Jane didn't want to risk that Maura had only been so nice out of pity. Jane wanted neither pity nor to overstay her welcome, but she was grateful to have been let in all the same.

Quietly as possible, so as not to wake her host, Jane slipped out of bed and pulled on her clothes. Before she left the room, though, she stopped and peered over at Maura, who was dozing serenely, huddled into Jane's warm but now empty spot in the bed. Just the sight of her, curled up in white sheets and content in her sleep, was enough to make Jane smile. The detective leaned down and placed a kiss on the doctor's forehead.

"Sleep tight, sweetie."

When Jane came back from a long walk with Joe Friday – the detective's apology to the small dog for having left her alone all night – Marisa was outside of her door.

"Hey," Jane said nonchalantly as her dog excitedly scampered over to the familiar woman.

"Hey," the law student greeted back, giving Joe a belly rub and watching her enjoyment out of the corner of her eye. "I was looking for you last night. Just wanted to make sure you were okay. I heard about the case, well, I saw the news and the case was on. Y-you weren't on the news, but when I you had to cancel on me and I hadn't seen you for a few days, I figured you might have been working."

"Yeah, sorry I didn't return your calls."

Marisa shook her head dismissively. "It's no problem. I was just… a little worried about you. I'm glad you're okay." She trying very hard at moment, doing her best to seem aloof and unconcerned with Jane and her wellbeing, but the sudden closeness – both physical and otherwise – she'd begun to have with the detective was overriding that.

The hard-to-get/ take-it-easy approach to dating and casual sex was starting to get a little emotionally confusing. Suddenly, and unintentionally, an attachment was growing within the grad student. It was unintentional, because, really, Marisa never expected 1) that Jane would even be interested in her, she'd always assumed she was dating that doctor, or 2) that Jane would be any more that kind of strong loner type who just blows around in the breeze like the mysterious hero in an old Western movie.

Instinctually, something about Jane told her not to get to attached the idea of the detective. It wasn't that she questioned the older woman's morals, or even whether or not she was a bad person, but there was just something that told her be wary.

And yet, here she was. Worrying about Jane and hoping that Jane would call. Hoping that Jane could understand her worry and want to assuage it.

Goddamit. This all felt so high school. Time to pick your pride up off the floor, Marisa.

"Anyway, I'll see you around," the law student said, turning to head back into her apartment.

" 'Risa, wait," Jane said, placing her hand on the younger woman's wrist. "I just had a bad time with the case, you know. It took a lot out of me, and I didn't think would be fair if I came to you with that baggage. You didn't sign up for a cop's life, I did, and I try to keep my friends and family as much away from that part of my life as possible. It doesn't always turn out that well, but I try."

Marisa's hand covered Jane's on her wrist. "It's okay, really, I understand. I'm just glad you're safe. I understand the needing space thing."

"Yeah, and it's just that Maura's already kind of involved in the work stuff, so it's kind of like commiserating. Sort of."

That raised an eye brow.

"Maura?" Marisa repeated. "You were with Maura last night?"

"Yeah…" Jane said cagily, as though she suddenly realized the underlying implication. Not mention, Marisa had thought the two of them were dating not even a month ago. "I mean, that's what we do, you know. She's my best friend and we commiserate on bad cases. You know?"

Jane was falling into an old nervous speech pattern of hers. It wasn't something that happened often, but when it did, it was rather obvious and a little embarrassing, her Southie accent picking up with a vengeance.

"Yeah, I know," Marisa said guardedly, her hand and wrist slipping away from Jane's touch.

"No, wait, it's not like that. Whatever it is you're thinking, it's wrong."

"I'm not thinking anything, Jane. I've been up all night, I'm tired, I want to go to bed, that is all I'm thinking about right now. What you're thinking about, however…" she trailed off in insinuation.

Jane sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She was tired as well, and her frustration was growing by the second. Where did Marisa get this stuff from? Where did everyone else get it from, in the first place?

"I'm tired of people thinking there's something going on between me and Maura. There's nothing happening. I just spent the night at her house, it happens all the time, except lately because I've been spending pretty much all my free time with you, okay? There is nothing at all happening with my and Maura. She's just my best friend. I don't even think she likes women."

"But you do," Marisa pointed out.

"And so do you!" Jane retorted, on the verge of pulling out her hair. "But what the fuck does that have to do with anything? At all. Seriously, is there something you need to tell me that I'm just not getting? 'Cause really, since you and everyone else seem to know so much about me and Maura's love life, maybe you'd like to give me a clue, a hint, a fucking idea as to what it is you all think you see."

Marisa shook her head, too worn out to keep this battle up any longer. Maybe she was really was making something out of nothing.

"I don't know Jane, you're right, I'm probably just being delirious. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." The law student found a sudden interest in her fuzzy pink slippers, the hallway's unattractive carpet, anything but Jane's gaze at the moment.

Jane too was recoiling from the conversation and sinking into awkwardness.

"So," she said in an attempt to be casual. "I'll call you?" It was question, for sure. She wasn't certain exactly where this left them at the moment.

"Yeah," Marisa nodded. "You'll call me." She rose on her tip toes to kiss Jane at the corner of her mouth before disappearing into her apartment.

Jane led Joe back into the apartment. She fed and watered the dog and checked on Watson in his glass cage. Afterwards, she turned to her room and quickly dropped down on to the bed with her face in her hands. She felt a sudden headache coming on.


End file.
